Author name: Booksquare

Dissecting the publishing industry with love and skepticism.

We Now Admit To A Green-Eyed Moment

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Let’s face it, writing books is hard. If you don’t believe us, ask anyone. Except those people at dinner parties who think they’ll dash off a romance because it’s easy. Wait until they’ve done their dashing before asking. One key component of writing is life experience. We think that some of the lack of staying in much of today’s chick[final syllable deleted at the request of Booksquare management] is the youth of many of the authors, whereas much of the success of Helen Fielding’s work came from the fact she was looking backward, in a manner of speaking. So of […]

Books/Mags/Blogs

Far Too Much For Us To Cover

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We know, we know, we’re about to take the lazy way out. As a follow-up to last week’s story about Publish America, it seems there was a small, shall we say, sting operation put into motion by a group of science fiction authors. The links below detail the project and related writings (the final link is to the Publish America message board). We remain convinced that authors need to make the best possible decision for their career, but we remain even more convinced that you need to know exactly what you’re getting into (while several on the PA board address

Publishers and Editors

Or, As It’s Known In Our Circles, That Movie About Lompoc

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When we were a wee one, one thing was certain: we were not surrounded by wineries. Flower fields, yes, but the wineries came much later. These days, people not only know how to pronounce “Lompoc”, but they have also been there. Before, it was just a place one drove by as they cruised up the 101. Unless you had a relative in federal prison, but that’s another story. Now the world knows about Santa Ynez and not because of the Chumash Casino. Los Olivos is not just the place Michael Jackson lives. Solvang is more than a place to buy

Books/Mags/Blogs

The Face That Launched A Thousand Objectivists

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Yes, it’s hard to believe, but if she were still alive, Ayn Rand would be facing the big 1-0-0. Yet to us, she’ll always remain young and idealistic. Cult-like followers aside, we remain baffled by the continued popularity of Rand. Oh sure, we get the whole rite of passage thing — we did it ourself. But it’s sort of like leaping off your garage roof during your superhero phase…you get over it. Hopefully before you actual take flight. Still, far be it for us to miss a celebration. Considering the Last Romantic, Ayn Rand, at 100

Square Pegs

We Thought We Put A Stop To This

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Now, correct us if we’re wrong (though we’re not), but didn’t we put a ban on any new genre ending with “lit”? Though our memory is fuzzy on the subject, and we’re too lazy to pull out the old search engine, it seems we demanded this practice cease around the time “lad lit” hit the scene. As with all our magic, it appears something backfired: the lads left, but the lit stayed. Probably this is because we can’t twitch our nose without squinting. So after sifting through the discovery that women of a certain age like to read about women

Books/Mags/Blogs

Today’s Dictionary Crisis: Commercial with Literary Aspirations

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Never let it be said that we bore easily — we’ve spent years being fascinated by the labels applied to writing. It’s now hard for us to believe that “narrative non-fiction” was once considered a wacky term. Adam Chromy (also known as Artists and Artisans…which, yes, makes us wonder what he considers the distinction) is probably feeling a bit proud of himself right now. He gave us pause as we considered a new-to-us phrase. But enough about our problems. Chromy likes smart stuff, good writing, platform, commercial fiction with literary aspirations, and, probably, good beer. We’re just guessing on that

Agents

Covering The Local Beat

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We realize we beat up on our local paper, but, in all fairness, we read it regularly and feel it’s our right and responsibility. And, again to be fair, we beat up on news outlets we don’t consume regularly. All’s fair when it comes to making fun of the press. As part of our regular routine, we read the Los Angeles Times Book Review section from cover to cover*. Then, for fun, we look at the local bestsellers. If we were the type to do those charts and graphs, we’d see there is no correlation between the reviews and charts.

Square Pegs

Lawsuits: Cheap Entertainment For The Masses

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If you are the type who craves constant mental stimulation, well, probably you should stop reading this. We’re not going to get much deeper than the surface here. Why? Because we’re talking about Stupid Human Tricks — or, why sometimes it’s better not to sue. One inevitable drawback of the right to sue is the fact that people take advantage of this privilege. This is why we must have ridiculous notices on commercials, etc. telling us not to try this at home. You wonder who would, then realize it is the nature of our species to do things other animals

Square Pegs

Refreshing Twists on The Death of The Novel

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As it turns out, the novel will not die a lonely death. Its cousins, the motion picture and the pop single, are on life support as well. As with fiction, these arts forms are simply unable to compete in the modern world. Yes, this clearly explains their omnipresence. Today we present a theory: when someone proclaims the death of something, it really means the death of how they like things. Does this lessen our fascination with the subject? Of course not. We remain awestruck by the time and energy put into these stories. Is the blockbuster the end of cinema?

Square Pegs

Sad, Sad Misconceptions

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We believe in live and let live. Mostly. Bookclubs aren’t for everyone, but we take exception to the notion that our libations are inferior. Our bookclub (still going strong after all these years!) prides itself on the quality of food and beverage. As much thought is put into refreshments as is put into the book*. Actually, it’s quite refreshing to read such a curmudgeonly piece so early in the morning. It reminds us of what matters in the world. Yes, crankiness is an underrated virtue. Venting spleen keeps the blood flowing. Thumbing your nose at that which you don’t understand

Books/Mags/Blogs
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